Broken Mirrors
by Unexpectedtale
Summary: Corporal Hope Fairchild possibly holds the key to saving her world, but will she be able to keep true to her mission, or lose herself as Runner 5?
1. Jolly 59 Alpha

AN: I don't own anything apart from my OCs (Hope and Grim) and world - anything you recognise, probably belongs to someone else and I'm just playing with them :)

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"Miss Fairchild-"

"Corporal Fairchild sir." The reminder was polite, but had a slight edge to it, as though it wasn't the first time the short figure had had to point out her rank.

"Apologies corporal. Whilst I am not convinced of your merit; you are still part of a military unit, and are the only one I can spare for this mission."

Hope Fairchild carefully schooled her features into military blankness to hide the deep irritation she felt. True, she was only an honorary corporal to give her job as a messenger 'official' status.

"The chopper on pad 3 will take you to Abel township. You have half an hour before it leaves. Dismissed."

Hope jogged back to her tiny bunk area and grabbed her slightly tatty backpack and nudged the dark grey-furred dog sleeping under the cot bed with the toe of her boot, "C'mon Grim, it's time for us to move out. We're finally getting to get back on the road."

The presumably GSD mongrel yawned and trotted after her.

When he spied the helo he laid his ears flat, Hope crouched and ruffled his fur. "I know you don't like flying, but tough. If you want to get home again, we just have to suck it up." Grim snorted and shook his head, sunlight glinted off the thick gold ring in one ear.

The pilot waved at them, "You my fare?" The woman was young, probably in her early twenties; 'Probably not far off from me.' Hope thought as she ducked under the rotors and pulled herself into the belly of the chopper.

A few minutes later, they were spiralling high above the countryside, the pilot was a chatty person and seemed to be enjoying playing tour guide, "So, you'll see the township as we loop round. Not much more than a few fences to keep the zoms out."

Hope peered out of the forward window as the pilot continued, "Tiny little island of humanity. I just don't know how they live like that. Well, I guess they won't be living like that much longer."

She turned to the skinny corporal and her dog, "So I expect you're not allowed to say what you're being dropped into the township for, huh?"

Hope patted her headset, trying to remember where the push to talk button was, but gave up and shook her head.

"Nah, I thought not. I know how it works. They don't even tell you till you get there." The pilot turned back to the main console, much to Hope's relief.

She turned on the radio, "Abel Township, Abel Township, this is Jolly Alpha Five Niner from Mullins Military Base. We're 5 miles out approaching from the east at one thousand one hundred feet, bringing in med supplies, some vac-packs, shelters and a temporary loan of one of our people. Abel Township Jolly Five Niner requesting permission to land?"

The radio crackled as Hope tried to spot their destination, the infamous Abel township.

A young male voice crackled out a reply, "Yeah. Got that. Er, I mean, roger that. You're clear to um...yeah you can come on in."

Hope listened with half an ear, and jumped when the pilot spoke to her again, "I can see clear as day we haven't got half the supplies we usually bring. That means we've lied to the township.

Yeah. I know. You don't know anything. Project Greenshoot? Need to know basis? Briefing to follow at Abel. Sorry, I couldn't help when you boarded. And then you'll find out what your mission really is. But you know if you and me pooled info maybe we could-"

She broke off abruptly and said in disbelief, more to herself than her passengers, "Someone's shooting at the chopper. What the hell...? They're shooting! That's not coming from the

township! Who the hell has a rocket launcher in this sector, who the hell has...?"

The chopper lurched abruptly and Hope clutched at the straps of her 'chute nervously. Grim scrabbled to keep a grip on the metal floor and Hope unbuckled her harness to try and grab him.

"We're hit. I've lost the tail rotor. Mayday Mayday Mayday. Jolly Five Niner is going down three miles east of the township. Two souls on board. Aircraft is grey with black lettering and trim. We're going in hard brace brace brace."

Hope grabbed Grim and tried to wedge them into a corner as the chopper plummeted toward the ground. She could still hear the radio operator in her ear, "This is Abel Township calling, this Abel Township calling. Supply copter can you hear us? They're going down fast, holy moly."

The pilot was slumped over the controls, Hope grimaced and yanked on the door, as it flew open, she grabbed Grim and shut her eyes before she jumped.

The chute opened just in time for her to see the trees were approaching far too quickly, but both hands were holding onto her dog so she couldn't try and steer to avoid them.

The silk tangled in the branches and Hope yelped as she hit the trunk. Hard.

The impact numbed her arm and Grim slipped from her grasp and tumbled to the ground.

"Fuck." She groaned and hit the emergency release, at least she was only halfway up the tree. As she fell, Hope missed the branch she had intended to grab to break her fall and she hit the ground hard enough to make her see stars. Her head cracked on something hard and her vision dimmed to blackness.


	2. One week earlier

AN: still only own Hope and Grim :)

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Hope lay on her front on the riverbank, arms elbow deep in the frigid water. She hummed under her breath as her questing fingers probed the overhang; she wasn't giving up just yet. Grim had challenged her for a fish dinner and she'd be damned if she lost another bet with that son of a bitch.

Despite her calm demeanour, Hope kept a wary eye on the skies; it was close to sunset and even Grim wouldn't stay out after dusk. That was when they became more active. Finally her fingertips brushed something slimy and she smirked, 'Don't mess this up girl, Grim needs a kicking.' Hope eased her fingers along the fish's sides and quickly hooked them into the gill slits and flicked the trout onto the grass where it flailed for a while before it finally stilled.

She stood and brushed stray wisps of grass off her army-issue fatigues and grabbed her sniper rifle before adjusting her pack and her fish, and quickly jogging in the direction of the night's camp.

Hope slowed to a cautious walk as she approached the abandoned petrol station; zoms seemed to habitually gather by human structures, possibly from a deep-seated memory that transcended death and unlife. "Bloody Grim." Hope pulled her brown hair back in its habitual ponytail and resettled her cap more firmly on her head. A faint light flickered in an upstairs window of what had presumably been the personal quarters of the family who had owned the petrol station before the Grey Plague had ended this world as they had once known it.

So far, no sign of the zombie horde; although with Grim apparently forgetting rule #1: 'concealment at night means you'll see another day'; it was only a matter of time before either zoms or other survivors moved in. Hope supposed that the fact the tanks of fuel were bone-dry had something to do with the fact no one had challenged their moving in.

She kept grumbling under her breath as she clambered up the stacked crates to the unboarded up window above the canopy covering the fuel pumps. Hope pulled on the rope tied around the top box and levered it up and over the top, hopefully preventing determined zoms from easily getting in.

"Grim, you bloody idiot; I could see you from the woods! Did you want to broadcast our location to the whole neighbourhood?" Hope slid in through the window and shrugged off her worn backpack. The figure in the grey and green hoodie didn't reply, and kept staring into the fire. "Fine, be a moody poo then." Hope snorted and resumed digging in her pack, "I totally won the bet by the way too," she tossed the fish, wrapped in a discarded newspaper to Grim. It landed short, with a sad little 'plap'.

Hope continued to talk to the silent Grim as she unbuckled her sniper rifle and set it down by the window. She slotted the makeshift barricade over the window, blocking out the firelight. A tingle of unease skittered down her spine as her companion's silence continued. "Uh. Grim? Are you okay buddy?" She tiptoed closer and gently touched his shoulder; the body fell sideways to the floor and Hope jumped back with a barely-suppressed shriek, reaching for the 9mm she usually kept strapped to her belt.

"Gotcha!" The real Grim jumped down from where he had been hiding on top of a wardrobe. He had dressed a small mannequin in his clothes and Hope was furious she'd fallen for his trick. "Screw you Grim! I should have bloody well shot you in that hotel in Russia." She folded her arms across her skinny chest and glared at the lanky bane of her life.

Grim, not at all chastened, bounded over to her and swung Hope off her feet. "Oh hush up human. You know we're stuck together until we can get this 'cure' home." He let go of her to make air quotes; just on the off-chance she hadn't noticed he was being sarcastic. "Well. I won your bet. Now get cooking."

Hope wasn't ready to forgive him just yet. The little shite had nearly given her a heart attack with his stupid stunt. While her companion started to prepare her hard won trout, Hope pulled out a battered compass and a badly-worn and hastily laminated map of the area.

They were due back to Mullins base and with the zoms displaying some unusual behaviours, Hope thought it best to cut cross-country and give settlements a wide berth.

She sat back on her heels, "Do you think they'll believe us this time?"

Silence.

"Okay, do you think they'll believe me and let us go?" Hope glanced over and Grim gave a non-committal shrug. She sighed; but couldn't really blame him. This was certainly one of the more paranoid and xenophobic areas of the country.

People like her were welcome.

Grim...not so much.

Static burst from the radio on the mantelpiece. Hope stood and frowned. This wasn't the way things happened that night. Static crackled again and this time she heard a voice...


End file.
